Below is attached our newsletter volume 2.
This edition contains
Please find attached contact details for a new immigration solicitor in Bradford who is willing to offer free initial consultation service.
Leanne Mathieson provided this information in a recent email.
Dear Sirs,
I am writing to you in the hope that I can be of some assistance.
I have just opened a specialist immigration law firm in Bradford City Centre, Mathieson Law. I am offering free initial consultations to everybody including anybody that may ask you for immigration advice should you not know where to signpost them.
I have over 7 years experience in the immigration law field, originally starting my career at Parker Bird before continuing my career at IAS and Harrison Bundey.
If I can be of any assistance please do not hesitate to contact me.
Best Regards
Leanne Mathieson
Email info@mathiesonlaw.co.uk
Tel +44 (0) 1274 28 80 90
Hi All, I am back again. I am still regurgitating the Sheffield pasture I ate last week. It seems too sweet to swallow it all at once. The subject today is ‘Face the Devil’. It sounds alarming and scary. One would ask, how do I face the devil? Another would ask, can anyone face the devil? Or has anyone dared to face the devil? The answer is a big YES to all the questions.
You remember I served a starter titled “Single Story” as one of the factors which have created some stereotypes, trend of behaviors, beliefs, relationship gaps, hatreds and so many unexplained stories that are stuck in people’s minds. I explained that unless you read the other side of the coin, you may be misled by what you once heard about a particular person, group of people, nationality, or place. I encouraged the readers to take a step further and learn more about what they were told by their parents, community or friends about different people who may happen to live in the same community with them today. Is it not amazing to just find yourself hating someone you have never met before, never spoken to and have no idea who he/she is by just looking at him/her?
When I was young and even when I was in secondary school, we used to say to one another some things which we just copied from our parents, communities and even our teachers. I remember when we were given a piece of work to do either in school or at home like gardening, or digging or any hard job. If one is lazy or tired or just likes to watch others work while he/she is seated or just talking directing others what to do. We used to say, “Why are you behaving like a white man?” This is because when the early missionaries came to Africa, they had money and took advantage of cheap labor that every hard work was done by Africans and all they were doing was instructing and they would go and seat in the office. For this course, our parents and even passed on us, we believed that a white man was too fragile to do hard jobs. We believed a white man’s bones were too soft that doing hard job would mean the end of his life. Then as development kept improving, more white people came and some would not want anyone to do some of the jobs and when people saw that, they used to say, “he doesn’t behave like a white person”. We believed that the heaviest weight a white man would lift was a pen or pencil. But as years passed on we discovered that these beliefs were totally wrong. We discovered that white or black, yellow or red, we were all the same and could do either jobs without any problems.
Remember, the main title under discussion in these stories is Racism. What is racism? It is a very thorny subject that many people do not want to talk about it openly; some are even scared to mention the word. But what is it? Racism can be defined are:
Bearing in mind the above decisions, we will discover that we have knowingly and unknowingly fallen victims of some of these beliefs in one way or another. Thinking very hard, you will discover that despite the Legal Framework working so hard to formulate as many laws as possible, laws have never been able to change people’s behaviors neither have they managed to eradicate the crime they are aimed at. People have managed to find their way out to continue with the same trend of behavior but in an indirect way whereby victims have continued to be victimized but they have no tangible evidence to prove it.
This course opened my eyes that unless we hold the bull by its horns, forcing someone to change believing in what was instilled since childhood by simply putting up laws won’t be possible. It is high time for everyone one to talk, discuss and share this topic, “why racism?” Scientifically, we are told that races came about through climatic, genetic and dietary factors. Biblically it says God created Adam and later Eve through them all men in the world originated. So this may be in line with the scientist proof that our skins, looks, differ from each other because of climatic, genetic and dietary factors otherwise we hail from one source. In Acts 17 verse 26 the bible says, “And hath made one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation”. And in Leviticus 17 verse 11, the bible says, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. It doesn’t matter what you believe in but almost all mankind believe that somehow, somewhere there is God. This belief is shared in all our minds. And in these two verses, our God is telling us regardless of our colour, body make up, structure or origin, we have one common thing, “the blood.” And is the blood that makes the flesh that walks about alive. It is one blood that makes us one. The other features are not important to concentrate on.
In view of this, I would like you to take a minute and think about the definitions I have given you about racism, the similarity of all human beings, then ask yourself why do you relate to your neighbors, community members, workmates, people in your city, district, nation and even the world at large the way you do. It is time to let the old needless beliefs go and knock on your neighbor’s door and invite him or her for a cup of coffee and learn more about them. It is time to give a genuine smile to people we meet on the street and regard them as worthwhile. It is time to let destroy the bad eggs baskets and only keep the good eggs basket piling up every day. It is time to face our enemies and iron out our differences through discussion and continuous communication wherever things are not going right. It is high time to live as one people in one community, city, nation and appreciate one another. It is time to break the limitations which needn’t exist by creating a free, communicable and happy culture. It is time to look beyond the skin as well as the type of dressing. Beyond them, you will find the blood and it is the blood that makes us one. Yes, essentially we are one.
Let us copy the outstanding examples of people like Nelson Mandela who despite of what he went through, he never paid evil for evil but reconciled the nation to all people.
It is time to face the devil regardless of what you believed, what they said about you, what they have done, where they are from and how they look. It is time to let the needless weights off our heart and live a beautiful life, seeing every person as potential in one way or another. It is time to face the devil, it will make a difference.
Beatrice
Beatrice and I attended a training programme [27 to28 April] on RACISM AND DIVERSITY. Many factors of racism were analysed but what touched me most was how people like the former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela were able to reverse the negative image of racism that had forced him to be imprisoned on an Indian Ocean island for 27 years into something positive which enabled him to unite South Africa and avoid the possibility of a racist bloodbath. Mandela received numerous and different forms of punishment for the “crime” of being black but he chose positive reactions all the time, because he had one clear objective-the freedom of his Nation. He replaced the many stories that could have come out of negative reaction to his wide range of punishments by a SINGLE STORY-the story of national freedom. What lessons can we derive from Nelson Mandela? Can we not turn the stories of going to Croydon to apply for asylum; applying for NASS support; applying for housing support; detentions and everything else to do with asylum application into one SINGLE STORY? Can we not have one story with a beginning, a clear direction and successful end?
Many immigrants arrive in the UK undecided about asylum. They go to live with friends and relatives for weeks, months or even years before they go to claim asylum and yet the law clearly says you need to claim asylum as soon as is reasonably possible, in other words as soon as you arrive in the UK. Most relatives and friends know this because they most probably were at one point or other asylum seekers. New arrivals do not even know that they can first claim asylum and then go to live with relatives and friends while their claims are being processed. These conditions are found in free libraries and there are numerous organisations that give free advice on these issues. Some choose to hide and live illegally. One can easily do that in the UK but it is unwise because one day you may become seriously ill, can be injured, will get old or decide to leave the UK. We often turn the simple story of applying for asylum into many often expensive stories because we do not prepare a clear introduction to the SINGLE STORY of asylum application.
Some asylum seekers have ended in unwanted marriages and with unwanted and often unloved children because they chose to get advice from unqualified “knowledgeable” persons, often friends who give examples of cases that happened before some well publicised changes in law. Many have been forced into illegal activities because they chose the wrong direction. Some have taken expensive trips to offices that no longer exist. Some have been forced to sleep rough, eat unhygienic food, and expose themselves to criminals and even murderers because they depended on the “I know it all”. They have chosen to put their lives into stories rather than a SINGLE STORY. The correct direction remains at often free public institutions and the humanitarian organisations.
Many people do not know that there are few things that are more expensive than IGNORANCE. Most problems of the World have their roots in ignorance. Many people that claim to know often do not know. There are many people with PHDs that are very ignorant .The roots of ignorance are much deeper than most of the teaching we receive from colleges and universities. Just imagine the number of people that lost their lives from malaria before we knew that it was the little female anopheles mosquito that caused it. Did we not have people with PHDs? Do not believe people that tell you that they are educated and know the law. Similarly do not waste money going to unqualified lawyers or changing them like shirts. Do not try to prepare your own cases. Wait in the long queue of the free legal advisers. Have the patience of Nelson Mandela. Be determined to follow the correct channels. Determination is not cheap. It is not expensive financially only, it costs a lot of time, it costs a lot of patience and it costs a lot of energy. You sometimes have to walk long distances to get to where help is found but that is the price of success. Your story of asylum must be a SINGLE STORY of determination in ONE clear direction not claiming asylum because of political reasons one day; claiming asylum because of domestic disputes the next day; claiming asylum for health reasons the third day and claiming asylum for those many other reasons on the fourth. You need a SINGLE STORY.
To have a SINGLE STORY you need to understand the system of asylum properly, especially the laws. You need to report as instructed. You need to be far away from any criminal activity. But most important of all you need to know what you want and be convinced that no matter the odds you will get what you want. You need a single story. Nelson Mandela was a member and leader of the African Nation Council [ANC].They tried to break him, to lie about him, to torture him, to enslave him and the rest but he remained the leader of the ANC. He told and lived a SINGLE STORY and he saved South Africa from possible bloodshed. You need a SINGLE STORY which is convincing in its content so that no one will deny you asylum on the grounds of your inability to tell a single story of your asylum claim. This training did not discuss the life of Nelson Mandela, but from this training I came up with a SINGLE STORY. I hope this article and the one by Beatrice in her blog will help someone.
Roben Mutwira
I and my colleague, Roben were privileged to attend a regional workshop on “Race & Diversity – Beyond the barriers” which was held in Sheffield last week. The workshop attracted leaders of organizations, practitioners and community activists from Yorkshire region. The aim of the workshop was to:
The workshop included:
I am not going to go into detail of the whole workshop but I just want to share with you what struck me most out of this workshop. I must be honest, this was an eye opener to me and I am hoping that whoever will read through this article will have some parts of his/her mind unlocked forever.
As you might have noted from the heading of this article, I am here today to talk about a Single Story, its, impact, effect, what marks does it leave, how does it affect our lives, behaviour, thinking, etc. I am sure each one of us as we grew up we were being told different stories about, our ancestors, neighbours, tribes, communities and different people by our parents. Those stories have had impact on the way we are living today, how we relate with our family members, neighbours, workmates, other people and other people whom we meet in our daily lives. This trend of this life is based on what we were or have been told or have heard about our families and the people who have happened to live around our communities, country or region.
At this workshop we benefited from a story of one very brave, hardworking and very educated woman who has managed to break the barriers which were created by what she heard about different people. This woman analysed her own life by looking back from her childhood, the stories she was being told by her parents and how they affected her life and how her thinking changed when she learned the other side of a story about certain people. For example, she re-called during her tender age her mother telling her not to throw away any food from the table because other people like their houseboy’s family were poor and had nothing to eat. She re-counted that her perception about the houseboy’s family changed when she happened to visit his family in the village. She discovered that despite the image the mother painted about this family, the family had another good side of the story. She discovered that the elder brother of the houseboy had skills of making nice patterned baskets and this skill was so unique that she admired it so much. From that day her attitude, perception and the way she related to the houseboy changed. She discovered that the picture of poverty which was painted by her mother in her tender mind was not practically true because this family had other unique skills which other people didn’t have.
From this story, it took me backwards as well, automatically. I was forced to look back to my history, how I grew up, what stories I was told by my parents and when I went to school, what I was taught in school. I discovered that our families, communities, education systems and the people we have lived with have played a role and have left an impact in how we relate with specific people in our spheres of life. I remembered in my early age being taught about the history of my ancestors, where they came from and why, the journey they travelled to reach where we were. Then in school, the history of my country, the origins of different types of tribes present in my country, their life patterns, why they were found where they were settled, why they were following different system of life from other tribes and why their languages differed from one another despite of living in the same country. And these differences impacted both positively and unfortunate enough negatively on the way they related to one another. The differences of their ancestors lived in their lives and were passed on from generation to generation. I remember parents telling their children to marry from their own tribes, and gave some extent to other tribes and gave a total NO to other tribes. But Why?
As I grew up to higher classes, I was introduced to the history of my continent. The discoveries of different places, rivers, lakes, mountains by the early missionaries. I was taught about how these missionaries scrambled over the continent and made beautiful boundaries some of which passed through masses of water dividing one lake to belong to two countries. I discovered that this is how the maps of my continent came about. Then, I was taught about “human beings trade” which was called “slave trade” and how it came to an end and then civilisation was introduced, then the types of governments which existed and the independence processes and then of late democracies.
From these stories, one’s life is shaped and this affects how one behaves and how one relates with other people.
When I came to England, I was on day shocked when I was chatting with a workmate. I asked him if he wished to visit Africa on one of his holidays. I had a shock of my life when he made this remark, “I don’t want to be eaten by lions”. I laughed my lungs out because I thought it was a joke. But, alas, I discovered that he was very serious. I realised that he was told or he read those old books which stated how the early missionaries were eaten by lions and other beasts and that Africa was full of jungles. To him Africa was still the way it was in those missionary days. I had to explain to him that things were different now. All animals were now kept in secured game reserves and national parks.
Now, what if I was not taught about the good things the missionaries brought to my country – the religion, education, developments, etc. What if I was not taught that my mother was handpicked by a missionary to get education, what if this workmate of mine didn’t have a chance to hear from me that Africa is no longer a den of lions but it has people living in it?
And today we are talking about racism. Racism cannot be solved if we don’t go to the roots of racism – our first patterning of race and culture – ancestral themes. Why do we behave the way we do, why do we not feel comfortable with such and such group of people, why do we relate with people the way we do, what comes in our minds when we meet the people we live with in our communities, country and continent? These roots need to be dag and analysed. Shake off those that can be shaken and maintain only the good roots.
May be you have been told a single story about someone, some families, some tribes, some nationalities and some communities, it is not too late, develop an interest to confront or read, learn and discuss with such and this will iron out the unnecessary fears, hatreds, the perceptions and relationships with our neighbours, friends, workmates, communities and the whole nation at large.
As a start, I have deliberately put the picture above. One may make a story out of this picture at just a glance. But mind you, it will be a Single Story, you need another version to understand these two individuals. God bless you as you discover yourselves, your workmates and your community more closely. It will make life so beautiful. Beatrice
Bradford Refugees Forum | Based at Bradford Action for Refugees | 40a Piccadilly Road | BD1 3NN | Tel: 01274 762 116 | Fax: 01274 730 761
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